The Enemy
by AliasCWN
Summary: Moffitt is captured and meets a new German officer.


**The Enemy**

By: AliasCWN

"Stand up Sergeant."

Moffitt squinted to look up into the face of the German officer standing in front of him. Behind the officer the wheel of the overturned jeep spun lazily. Rolling to get to his knees, the sergeant got to his feet. He brushed the sand from his uniform and straightened his ascot before looking at the officer again.

"Where did the others go?" The officer demanded.

"The others, what others?" Moffitt asked innocently.

The officer sighed, "That is what I thought you would say. You are a member of the Allied group known as the Rat Patrol are you not?"

Moffitt didn't see any sense in denying it so he nodded. "Yes, I am." He looked closely at the officer. "I don't believe we've met. I am Sergeant Jack Moffitt, and you are?"

"Lieutenant Adolf Vietigg." The young officer responded. "He looked Moffitt over carefully as his men stepped forward to search their new prisoner.

"Just out of curiosity Lieutenant, where are you stationed? I don't remember ever seeing you before. Not that I know every German officer in this area." The sergeant hurried to explain. "I just have a good memory for faces."

"I am new to the desert as are most of my men." The officer answered.

The prisoner smiled at that. "Then I guess congratulations are in order."

"For what Sergeant?" Lieutenant Vietigg asked.

"New to the desert and you have already taken a prisoner; your commander will be proud."

"Yes, I suppose that is true. I have yet to meet our new commander but I am told he is a good officer. I am to train under him for a few months to gain from his experience. I wonder what he would do with you."

"How so?" Moffitt asked in a conversational tone.

"You are a commando." The young officer stated flatly. "There are orders from Berlin regarding the capture of commandos."

"I suppose you will just have to keep me alive until you can ask him."

The young officer nodded. "I had the same idea. The base is not so far away. We should be there by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" The prisoner asked. "The only base that close is Captain Dietrich's base."

"Yes. Do you know him?" The officer watched closely as the prisoner nodded.

"We've met a few times." The sergeant admitted. "Someone must think highly of you to send you to Captain Dietrich. He is an excellent officer. You can learn a lot from him."

"You praise an enemy officer?"

"Why not?" The sergeant shrugged. "He is an excellent officer. He has a fine tactical mind and has been an honorable adversary. I can appreciate those qualities in an officer no matter which side he serves. It doesn't change the fact that we are enemies."

"You are not at all what I expected Sergeant."

"Thank you, I think; if that was meant as a compliment that is."

The young lieutenant smiled. "I think it was a compliment, at least it was meant that way."

"Then thank you. There is no reason that we can't be civil while we are forced together."

Another soldier ran up and informed the lieutenant that their wounded needed medical attention because he did not know how to stop the bleeding in several cases. The officer stated his regret that they did not have a medic with them and told him to do his best. The officer's face revealed his concern when he turned back to Moffitt.

"Do you have any medical supplies available?" The prisoner asked.

The Lieutenant looked up, startled. "Do you speak German?"

"Yes." Moffitt admitted.

"Do you need medical attention?" The officer asked quickly. "I didn't notice any wounds." He scanned the sergeant's body again.

"I'm not hurt." The prisoner assured him. "Only my pride was hurt and that will recover thank you. I was offering to help your wounded; if they don't have any objections. I am the unofficial medic for our little group. I am not a doctor but perhaps I could be of help."

"Why would you help our wounded?" The officer asked suspiciously. "We are the enemy."

"They are injured, technically noncombatants. I can't in good conscience stand by and let a man die if I can help. I don't promise that I can save them, but perhaps I can keep them alive until you can get them to a doctor."

"It was you and your friends who shot them." The officer reminded him.

Moffitt shrugged. "They weren't noncombatants at the time."

The officer studied the British sergeant for a moment. "You are not at all what I expected." He repeated. He turned to his men and told them to bring the medical supplies to the truck where the wounded were lined up on the ground. He motioned for Moffitt to follow as he walked that way. "Do you have much experience with bullet wounds?"

"I have acquired a rather extensive knowledge of the subject over the course of this war." Moffitt answered a bit sadly. "Your troops are not all bad shots you know. Occasionally they get a good one in."

"Yet you and your friends seem to be immune to our bullets."

"Perhaps I'm a better medic than I am willing to admit, even to myself." The prisoner smiled wistfully. "Or we are very lucky."

"I shall have to reserve my opinion on that until I know a bit more." The Lieutenant answered.

"You do that Lieutenant; I always feel it is best to make your own decisions based on knowledge and not heresy." The sergeant knelt next to the first patient and checked his wounds. "This one can wait. The bleeding has stopped and he doesn't appear to be in too much pain. If you have enough morphine you can give him some, or perhaps some aspirin would do the trick." The soldier watched him warily as he rewrapped the bandage, being careful not to reopen the wound. Moffitt rose and moved to the next wounded man.

The German soldier opened his eyes and saw the British sergeant leaning over him. He jerked away, yelling in fright. Both Moffitt and the lieutenant hurried to assure him that everything was all right. The soldier looked uncertain, leaning away from Moffitt who had remained by his side.

"I am here to help." Moffitt told the man in German. "If you don't wish my help say so now so I can go on to the next wounded man."

The soldier eyed him warily, looking to his friends for guidance.

"I cannot help you Peter." Another soldier told him. "I don't know what to do. Your wound is too serious, I can't stop the bleeding."

The soldier looked to his friend and then down at his stomach. The thick bandage wrapped around his middle was soaked with fresh blood. His eyes widened at the sight and Moffitt could see the fear and panic set in.

"Let me look at it." Moffitt urged. "Perhaps I can be of help."

The soldier looked at his friend again. The friend nodded his head in encouragement. Glancing at the officer, the soldier nodded his head slowly, letting his body relax under the sergeant's hands.

Moffitt asked for a knife. The German soldier standing next to him looked to his officer.

"I need to cut the bandage off." Moffitt explained. "Unwrapping it will take longer and make it necessary to roll him over. Rolling him could increase the bleeding."

"Give him the knife." The lieutenant ordered. "Watch him."

Moffitt smiled as he took the knife. Being very careful he removed the bandage. The blood began to run down the soldier's side soaking his already bloody shirt. Moffitt used several thick bandages to press on the wound. Using another piece of gauze he rolled it tightly and warned the soldier that the next thing he did was going to hurt. Lifting the pads he inserted the rolled up gauze into the hole left by the bullet. The soldier cried out in pain and tried to pull away.

"Hold him down." Moffitt urged the soldiers near him. They dropped to their knees and held the struggling man down. Moffitt finished inserting the gauze and put the pads back in place. Pressing firmly, he held the gauze in place. "Hold still." He ordered the wounded man. "The worst is over, just try to relax."

The soldier quit struggling as the worst of the pain subsided. Moffitt held his hands firmly over the wound. The officer watched as Moffitt remained still, keeping pressure on the bandage. There wasn't a sound as the wounded man stared at the British sergeant.

"The bleeding has slowed. Could someone keep this pressure on here? I have to check the next patient but I will check back later." The soldier who had encouraged Peter to agree to allow Moffitt to help him stepped forward to keep the pressure on the wound. "Just press here. " Moffitt instructed. "Not too hard, just keep it firm. If someone could raise his head and feet, that would help too. Get a blanket to cover him, he's going into shock."

The next patient was already asleep, his wound having been treated and the bleeding under control. Moffitt stopped at the next one but moved on right away.

"Why won't you treat that one?" The Lieutenant asked.

"That one is beyond help." Moffitt answered sadly.

The officer looked more closely and nodded. He ordered the soldier covered with a blanket until they were ready to bury the dead.

The next two patients had minor wounds and Moffitt told them to wait until he had looked at the final patient. The final patient was a youth of no more than eighteen. His frightened eyes stared at Moffitt as he knelt by his side. The sergeant tried to hide his reaction when he saw the wound.

"I am going to die am I not?" The boy asked as Moffitt leaned over him.

Moffitt took a breath, ready to lie to the youth but the image of Hitch and Tully's faces came to mind. He had never lied to the privates no matter how serious the injury because he had always respected their right to know; how could he treat this youth any differently?

"I don't know." He replied honestly. "I will do my best to prevent that from happening but a lot of it will be up to you."

"To me?" The boy repeated. "What can I do?"

"Fight." The sergeant responded.

"I cannot fight, I am wounded."

"You are the only one who can fight this battle." The sergeant answered. "I can treat the wound, but you must fight to survive. If you chose to quit, it won't matter what I do, you will die."

The boy looked frightened as he stared at the faces around him. One of the other soldiers knelt next to him and gripped his hand. "He is right Johann, this is a battle that only you can fight, and you must fight to win. We will help all that we can, but, in the end, it will be up to you."

The boy stared at his friend a moment longer before he looked back at Moffitt. "I will do my best."

The sergeant smiled at him and squeezed his arm. "That is all anyone can ask. One word of advice, and I speak from experience, when you think that you have given it your all, you must dig deep and find something more to give. This will not be an easy battle."

The boy nodded nervously. "Will it hurt?"

"I'm afraid there might be pain." Moffitt admitted, again going with honesty. "I will give you some morphine to help with the pain but it may not make it go away entirely. Actually, some pain is good; it lets you know that you are still alive."

The boy nodded hesitantly. "Will it be bad?"

"I hope not." Moffitt answered. He picked up the med kit and extracted the morphine. Lifting the boy's arm gently, he administered the shot. "We will wait for a few minutes until the morphine has time to take effect; once it has you will most likely fall asleep. I will have to remove the bullet if we are to stop the bleeding. By the time you wake up I will be finished."

"Then what will happen?"

"Then your friends will take care of you. They will bathe your face and chest to keep the fever down. They will make sure you get morphine when you need it. I will instruct them on keeping the wound clean and giving you antibiotics to prevent infection. All you have to do is sleep and heal. The important part will be remembering to breathe. There may be times when it seems hard; you must fight your hardest at those times. Always remember that there are those who care about you and are waiting for your return. You wouldn't want to disappoint them would you?"

"No." Johann shook his head, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Sleep now Johann. You will be at the base before you know it. The doctors will take good care of you."

Johann nodded sleepily. Moffitt watched as his head rolled to the side and his breathing slowed and evened out.

"I will need hot water and clean bandages. Fix some shade for the wounded. Find me a bottle of disinfectant to sterilize the knife I will be using."

"Can you do this Sergeant?"

Moffitt looked up at the lieutenant and shrugged. "The bullet is deep and there is a lot of blood loss. I wouldn't even try if we were closer to your base. As it is, if I don't try, the boy will surely die." The sergeant looked up into the officer's worried face. "If you have doubts, someone else can try. Leaving the bullet in there will make it impossible to stop the bleeding. I'm not even sure if taking it out will save his life."

The lieutenant gazed into the face of the sleeping boy. A whole range of emotions crossed his face. Moffitt waited, giving him time to make up his mind. "All right Sergeant, I will allow it. Just be warned, if he dies, there may be those among us who lay the blame on you."

Moffitt shrugged. "I can't help that Lieutenant. I would hope that they would listen to you and you would tell them to let the Captain decide my fate, but if we wait there will be nothing I can do."

"All right Sergeant, continue."

The supplies were brought and Moffitt carefully laid out the tools he would need. The soldiers stood back as Moffitt began to dig for the bullet. His entire attention was on the wounded boy and he did not notice the looks exchanged between the soldiers who were watching. Sweat poured from his forehead as he concentrated on his task. One of the watching soldiers folded a cloth and used it to wipe the sweat away before it could drip into the wound. Moffitt smiled his thanks and continued to probe for the slug. He grunted when he felt the tip of the knife hit something hard. Moving the tip slightly, he found the edge of the bullet and worked the knife under it. Slowly, with the utmost care, he worked the bullet out of the wound. Blood gushed from the hole left by the lead, spilling over Moffitt's hands and making it difficult to see. He grabbed more gauze and put pressure on the injury, holding it in place.

"Stop the bleeding!" Johann's friend shouted, reaching for the gauze.

"Don't!" Moffitt shouted. "You'll make it worse."

The soldier tried to push Moffitt to the side but the lieutenant ordered him to stop. "He has done well so far, let him finish."

The soldier leaned back reluctantly, watching every move Moffitt made.

The sergeant kept the pressure on the wound until the flow slowed and then stopped. He applied a pressure bandage, taping it in place and sitting back with a sigh. As they watched the bandage slowly turned red. When the white was all gone the sergeant added more gauze and a bit more pressure. This time the bandage stayed mostly white.

"That has done it for now." Moffitt sighed. "He needs more antibiotic and someone will have to sit by him to be sure that he doesn't move and reopen the wound. I will give him more morphine when this shot begins to wear off. It would be best if he is not moved right away. Tomorrow would be my suggestion."

"Will he pull through?"

"I don't know Lieutenant. The bleeding has stopped but he lost a lot of blood. He's weak and I can't rule out infection. All we can do is keep him comfortable and warm and watch for signs of redness around the wound. If his friend will sit with him he can keep him from moving. The longer we can keep him still the better his chance of survival."

"Are you suggesting that we stay here?" The lieutenant asked.

"Yes Lieutenant, I am." Moffitt admitted. "If we move him too soon we'll start the bleeding again. He won't have a chance then."

"We, Sergeant?"

"You Lieutenant. I merely meant that I was suggesting that you wait until tomorrow to move him."

The officer looked at his young trooper and sighed. "I will inform Captain Dietrich that I will be arriving later than expected."

"Perhaps he could send an ambulance and a real doctor to meet you here." The sergeant suggested.

"I will ask Sergeant."

Moffitt nodded and went back to working on the other patients. He removed several more bullets but none as deep as the one in the boy. By the time he was finished all of the wounded were sleeping quietly and he was exhausted.

"Would you like a drink of water Sergeant?" Lieutenant Vietigg stood watching him as he slid to the ground.

Moffitt nodded wearily. "A nice shot of scotch would be better but I guess I can settle for water."

The lieutenant smiled. "You did well Sergeant."

"Most of them will be fine given a little time. The only one I really worry about is the boy."

"You did your best, didn't you?"

"Yes. But I did warn you that I wasn't a doctor."

"Yes you did. Sergeant."

"Yes Lieutenant.?'

"I'm going to need that knife back."

Moffitt laughed as he looked down at the knife in his hand. "I'm sorry Lieutenant; I forgot I even had it."

"I believe you Sergeant, but I still need it back."

Moffitt handed the bloody knife to the lieutenant who quickly handed it to one of his men. "These things tend to drain my energy." Moffitt explained. "It usually helps to sit quietly and get centered again."

"I'll have someone bring you something to eat. Perhaps that will help."

"Thank you Lieutenant."

Moffitt was eating when the lieutenant returned. The officer nodded at the guard and stopped in front of the sergeant. "I'm sorry Sergeant."

"For what Lieutenant?"

"I have been ordered to keep you bound until Captain Dietrich arrives tomorrow." The young officer explained. "When I told him that I had captured you he sounded worried about me. I assured him that I would be fine but he insists on coming with the ambulance tomorrow."

"He is sending an ambulance then?"

"Yes, he is." The officer acknowledged.

"Good, young Johann will do better in an ambulance than in a halftrack; the ride is smoother."

"You aren't upset about being restrained?"

"Not at all." Moffitt answered honestly. "I expected as much when you said you were going to call the Captain. Captain Dietrich is a stickler for regulations and I believe that regulations require prisoners to be restrained."

"True." The Lieutenant responded.

"You are here to learn from the Captain after all. It would be wise to follow his instructions; I am the enemy after all." The Sergeant warned. "It is my duty to attempt to escape from your care no matter how benevolent it may be."

"You are not at all what I expected Sergeant."

"I think you said that already Lieutenant." Moffitt smiled as he stood up to allow the guard to tie his hands.

"I will post a guard to keep an eye on you Sergeant but I would like you to keep your eye on my wounded."

"Of course Lieutenant, I have invested quite a bit of time into them already; I wouldn't want to lose them now."

The camp settled for the night and Moffitt made another round of checking on his patients. The only one awake was the man with the stomach wound. He smiled uneasily at Moffitt, still not trusting him completely.

"Are you in pain?" The sergeant asked.

The soldier shrugged his shoulders. "It is not so bad." He admitted.

"I will give you another shot of morphine before I turn in." The sergeant promised. "If you can wait a little longer it will make your supply last longer. Captain Dietrich will be arriving tomorrow with an ambulance and a doctor."

"Thank you." The soldier ventured. "I don't know why you did it but you saved my life."

"As I explained to your lieutenant, you were no longer a combatant. I could hardly let an injured man die when I could help."

The soldier nodded but he still looked confused.

"Try to get some rest." Moffitt suggested. "I'll be back to check on you." The soldier nodded as the guard stepped back to allow Moffitt to return to his blankets.

It was almost midnight when Moffitt threw the blankets aside to go give the soldier his promised shot of morphine. He explained to the guard what he wanted to do and the guard followed him to where the wounded were sleeping. Moffitt administered the shot so gently that he didn't even wake the wounded man. He continued on to check on each of the injured soldiers, leaving young Johann for last.

Johann was sleeping fitfully while his friend sat beside him and dozed. The sergeant checked the bandages and grunted with satisfaction to see that there was no new bleeding. "He just might make it." He murmured for the guard to hear.

"I need to sit and watch the stars for a while." Moffitt looked at his guard and smiled. "I guess I would never make a doctor, this sort of thing takes too much out of me." The guard nodded, remembering the prisoner saying much the same thing after treating the wounded the first time.

"We cannot go far." The soldier warned. "The lieutenant would not be happy with me if I allowed you to wonder the desert away from the camp."

"I only need to go far enough that the fire doesn't block out the stars." The sergeant agreed with a smile.

"All right." The guard agreed. "But I must go with you."

"Of course." Moffitt answered. "I would enjoy the company." The two men walked slowly out of the camp, not drawing any attention as they faded into the darkness. The sergeant glanced up at the stars and sighed loudly. "Have you ever wondered how this war will end?"

"Yes." The guard answered.

"What are you going to do once it is over?"

The guard shrugged. "If I survive I will return home to my wife and daughter. My Ingrid is only four; just a baby."

"I'm sure you miss her." Moffitt responded.

"Very much." The guard answered.

"Well I certainly hope that you get to see her again."

The guard smiled at Moffitt, his attention so focused on the conversation that he missed the soft sound behind him. His first hint that he was in danger was when the rifle barrel connected with his head. Moffitt reached forward with his bound hands and caught the guard as he fell. He lowered him to the ground and smiled at the shadow that had decked the unsuspecting guard.

"Hello Tully, I was expecting you."

"Time to go Doc." Tully answered, pulling his knife to cut the ropes that bound the sergeant's hands. Moffitt nodded silently and followed his driver into the darkest part of the desert. Two more shadows joined them silently and the four of them got into their jeeps and drove away.

"I'm sorry Captain." Lieutenant Vietigg explained to his new commander the following morning. "We had him bound but he managed to escape with the help of his friends. We followed their tracks to where they had two jeeps hidden."

"That's quite all right Lieutenant." Captain Dietrich stared out across the flat desert floor. He turned to face the nervous young officer who waited for his expected punishment. "I admit I was angry at first, but I had plenty of time to think on my way here. I have concluded that the important thing is that no one was hurt during his escape. The Rat Patrol has schooled more than one officer on the finer points of escape, myself included. A friend, Karl Leopold, said that maybe we shouldn't invite the Rat Patrol to stay at our bases. They generally leave quite a mess when they decide to leave. And on more than one occasion they have taken one of our vehicles without so much as asking. They are rather rude guests." Dietrich smiled at the flustered young officer. "Don't worry Lieutenant; we will work on your methods of containing a prisoner."

"Yes sir." The Lieutenant answered with relief.

"Is there something else you wanted to say?" The Captain asked.

"He wasn't at all what I expected." The Lieutenant admitted.

"I know what you mean." Dietrich acknowledged. "Lieutenant, I suggest we get your wounded back to the base. The doctor has informed me that they will all survive if he can keep them from running a fever. He complimented you on your care of your men."

"It wasn't me Captain, it was our prisoner. I don't understand Captain, why would he save our men?"

"The Rat Patrol operates by their own set of morals Lieutenant. Apparently you appealed to his better qualities. They are a study in contradictions, but never underestimate them, it can prove fatal."

"He seemed so friendly."

"He is still the enemy."

"He was not what I expected."

Dietrich shook his head and tried to hide his smile. "Come Lieutenant, we should be going. Consider yourself lucky, not everyone survives their first encounter with that unit."

"He was not what I expected." The Lieutenant repeated as he followed his new commander.

(Author's note; I would like to thank one of my reviewers for a quote used in this story but I have changed the name to protect the innocent (or not so innocent as the case may be) Thanks so much.}


End file.
